Forge vs NeoForge vs Fabric vs Paper: which should your server run?

The first real decision for any Minecraft server is which server software it runs. The choice decides what you can add to the game later, and it is the most common reason a mod "does not work": the mod was built for a different loader. Cobbly offers all of the common options on the free tier and lets you switch from the Software tab while the server is stopped. This guide explains what each one is for.

The short answer

• You want to play normal Minecraft with friends — Vanilla, or Paper if you want it to run a little smoother.
• You want server tools — homes, teleports, land claims, permissions, economy, anti-grief — without anyone installing anything: Paper or Purpur, with plugins.
• You want new blocks, items, mobs and dimensions: a mod loader. Forge or NeoForge for most big content mods; Fabric for performance and lighter mods.
• You want a specific modpack — the pack decides for you. Install it from the Modpacks section and the right loader comes with it.

Mods vs plugins — the key difference

People use the words interchangeably, but they are different things and they are not compatible with each other.

• Plugins run only on the server. Players join with a completely normal, unmodified Minecraft. Plugins can add commands, rules, menus, economies and protections — but they cannot add new blocks or textures. They run on Paper, Purpur and Spigot.
• Mods change the game itself, so most of them must be installed on both the server and every player’s Minecraft. They can add anything — new blocks, machines, mobs, whole dimensions. They run on a mod loader: Forge, NeoForge, Fabric or Quilt.

A plugin jar will not load on Forge, and a Forge mod will not load on Paper. Decide which kind of server you want first; then pick the software.

Vanilla

The official server exactly as Mojang ships it. Nothing added, nothing changed — farms and redstone behave precisely as they do in single-player. Choose it if you want pure Minecraft and nothing else.

Paper and Purpur

Paper is a heavily optimised version of the server that runs noticeably better than Vanilla with the same number of players, fixes a list of exploits, and loads plugins. It is the most-used server software in the world for a reason. Purpur is built on Paper and adds many extra settings for gameplay tweaks; anything that runs on Paper runs on Purpur.

One thing to know: Paper changes a few mechanics for performance and stability — some duplication glitches and certain technical farms behave differently. If your group plays technical Minecraft and depends on exact Vanilla behaviour, stay on Vanilla. A beginner’s guide to Paper plugins covers setting one up.

Folia is also available: an experimental Paper variant that splits the world across several CPU threads. It is designed for very large servers, needs plugins written specifically for it, and is not the right pick for a group of friends.

Forge

The original mod loader, and still home to the biggest back-catalogue of content mods — especially on Minecraft 1.20.1, which a huge number of popular mods and modpacks still target. If a big tech or magic mod you want is on Forge for 1.20.1, run Forge on 1.20.1.

NeoForge

A fork of Forge, started by most of Forge’s own team. For Minecraft 1.20.2 and newer, many of the large content mods moved to NeoForge, and it is where most new Forge-style development happens. NeoForge mods and Forge mods are not interchangeable on newer versions: check which one a mod’s download page names.

Fabric

A lightweight loader that updates to new Minecraft versions within days. It is home to the best performance mods, to many small quality-of-life mods, and to a growing list of content mods. Almost every Fabric mod also needs the Fabric API mod installed alongside it — if a Fabric server will not start, a missing Fabric API is the first thing to check.

Quilt

A fork of Fabric that runs most Fabric mods as well as its own. Choose Quilt only if a mod you want specifically needs it; otherwise Fabric has the larger community.

Picking the Minecraft version

For a modded server, the mods decide the version, not the other way round. Find the two or three mods you care about most, see which Minecraft versions and loader they all support, and pick the newest version they share. Mods are built for one exact version — a mod for 1.20.1 does not load on 1.20.4.

Can I switch later?

Yes: stop the server and change it on the Software tab. Moving between Vanilla, Paper and Purpur keeps your world intact. Moving a world between modded and unmodded, or between loaders, is where things break — blocks from mods that are no longer installed disappear from the world. Take a backup before any switch, so you can go back.